Manitoba Declares State of Emergency as 17,000 Evacuate Wildfire Belt

Smoke-darkened skies sent a record 17,000 northerners racing south after wind-whipped fires cut off roads from Flin Flon to remote First Nations.  Winnipeg’s arenas and rec centres flipped overnight into dorms, while Premier Wab Kinew called in the military for round-the-clock evacuation flights—an exodus he believes is the largest in Manitoba’s living memory.  Prime Minister Mark Carney approved troops and transport aircraft within hours, but reporters found the main reception hub sealed to cameras as security ushered anxious families inside.

Across the Prairies, the crisis deepened.  Three Saskatchewan First Nations issued a joint emergency, warning they’d run out of crews, air support and gear just as two major blazes merged.  Alberta, already fighting 40 active fires, ordered mandatory departures from Chipewyan Lake and Red Earth Creek overnight; evacuees drove south under blood-red dawns toward shelters in Wabasca and Peace River.  Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak praised firefighters and promised to press Ottawa for more resources when she meets the PM today.

Meteorologists see little relief on the horizon: parched forests, gusty winds and near-record heat could keep flames aggressive through the weekend.  Officials urge residents to heed alerts immediately—crews can rebuild homes and power lines, they say, but not lives.  While planes drop retardant on shifting fire fronts, Winnipeg braces for more busloads, volunteers ready cots, and the prairies wait for the next lightning strike.